Pork Ragu comes together in about 30 minutes because the recipe calls for already-cooked pork. But it tastes as if it simmered for hours.

My heritage is mostly Scandinavian with a little English/Irish/Welsh thrown in, so there was never a large pot of "Sunday gravy" simmering on the stove at my house. Those with Nonnas know the aroma well.

Recipes vary from family to family, but the tradition is the same.

The weekend concludes with a family dinner topped with a long-simmered sauce of tomatoes, garlic, meat and herbs.

Served over pasta or polenta, it puts anything that comes out of a jar to shame.

I dated an Italian guy for several years and the food was outstanding. I had several memorable Thanksgivings with his relatives in New York City. His maiden aunts lived in a small rent-controlled apartment near Mulberry and Mott streets (they used to run around the neighborhood with Martin Scorsese).

They had a tiny side table that expanded to span the living room. Half of us sat on the couch on one side, the rest in chairs lining the other.

Turkey was a side dish, and beside the antipasto plate, spiedini, baked ziti, zucchini escabeche and more, you hardly noticed it.

The air was redolent of garlic, roasting meat and simmering sauce and everyone was inspected before sitting down to ensure they were wearing pants with elastic waistbands.

Sundays brought a huge pot of simmering sauce with meatballs. The meat was mixed, shaped and tossed in raw so that it could flavor the sauce as it cooked.

Spaghetti and meatballs is a simple dish, but made with this Sunday gravy, it is elevated with a savory, hard-earned flavor that can't be replicated on a busy weeknight.

This relatively quick sauce gets a boost of flavor from a base of mire poix, a lot of garlic and previously braised pork shoulder. It can be made in about 30 minutes and comes from foodnetwork.com, by Rachael Ray.

Preparation

In a large skillet, warm olive oil over medium heat. Add carrot, celery and onion and cook until soft. Add garlic and bay leaf and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until garlic is fragrant. Add a pinch of salt and a generous amount of black pepper.

Stir in tomato paste for 1 minute and then add wine. Cook a few minutes, stirring, then add stock and bring to a simmer. Add pork, cloves and milk. Return to a low simmer and let the flavors cook and meld while you make the pasta or polenta for serving.

Pour ragu over warm pasta or polenta and top with grated pecorino and fresh parsley.

Note: Using homemade chicken stock or swapping some defatted cooking juice from braising the pork is another way to up flavor and make the sauce taste like it took all day to make.